Integration and Curation of the Robert and Virginia Rausch Helminthological Collection- A Resource for Science and Society in the MSB Division of Parasitology

罗伯特和弗吉尼亚·劳施寄生虫收藏(RHC)是西半球最大的寄生虫收藏之一，主要关注北极和亚北极的生物群。它是一种不可替代的资源，记录了新出现的疾病生物体，并为涉及国家利益的研究提供了重要的基线，包括全球气候变化对脆弱的北方生态系统的影响。然而，如果没有迅速的策展干预，这是一个孤立的收藏品，处于完全丧失的严重危险中。该项目以新墨西哥大学(UNM)西南生物学博物馆为中心，将提供人员、材料和后勤支持，以确保RHC标本的保存和永久保存。标本记录、分类账和原始实地笔记将通过arctos在线数据库以电子方式捕获、核实和广泛传播，以最大限度地提高收藏的实用性和可见性。该项目建立在UNM在寄生虫学、疾病生物体多样性和标本生物学方面的大量机构投资和计划重点的基础上，并作为教育和培训资源直接惠及教职员工和学生。一旦获得保障，RHC将为生物监测、人类健康和全球气候变化研究提供独特的历史和地理基线。最终，联邦支持将通过在线资源和加强对高质量标本和数据的获取，使世界各地的科学家能够获得这一宝贵的资源。

The Robert and Virginia Rausch Helminthological Collection (RHC) is one of the largest parasite collections in the Western Hemisphere and is primarily focused on Arctic and sub-Arctic biomes. It is an irreplaceable resource that documents emerging disease organisms and provides a significant baseline for studies of national interest, including effects of global climate change on fragile northern ecosystems. However, it is an orphaned collection that is in serious jeopardy of total loss without rapid curatorial intervention. This project, centered at the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico (UNM), will provide personnel, materials and logistical support to insure conservation and permanent housing of RHC specimens. Specimen records, ledgers, and original field notes will be electronically captured, verified, and disseminated broadly via the ARCTOS online database to maximize utility and visibility of the collection. This project builds on substantial institutional investment and programmatic emphasis in parasitology, diversity of disease organisms, and specimen-based biology at UNM, and provides direct benefit to faculty and students as an education and training resource. Once secured, the RHC will provide unique historical and geographic baselines for bio-monitoring, human health, and global climate change studies. Ultimately, federal support will make this valuable resource available to scientists world-wide via online resources and enhanced access to high-quality specimens and data.